The Mailbox: Plenty of Jackets in playoffs - on other teams

Sunday

Apr 29, 2012 at 12:01 AMApr 30, 2012 at 12:49 AM

Mr. Stein: I picked up a Dispatch Sunday to see that the coach we didn't hire (Kevin Dineen) guided the Florida Panthers to their first playoff berth in a decade. They ended up one game away from reaching the second round.

Ray Stein, The Columbus Dispatch

Mr. Stein: I picked up a Dispatch Sunday to see that the coach we didn’t hire (Kevin Dineen) guided the Florida Panthers to their first playoff berth in a decade. They ended up one game away from reaching the second round.

I also saw that the coach we fired two years ago (Ken Hitchcock) is doing quite well in St. Louis, having finished off San Jose to reach the second round.

I then read that our interim coach, Todd Richards, compiled an 18-21-2 record that didn’t suck quite as badly as the coach we fired midseason (Scott Arniel, 11-25-5) — as if this were a good thing.

Oh, well, if I want to see Jackets in the playoffs, I can at least look to Phoenix and watch Antoine Vermette, Rusty Klesla, Gilbert Brule and Ray Whitney — all determined by management no longer to be good enough to wear the CBJ logo, yet are in the second round.

I trust Scott Howson reads The Dispatch, and I patiently await his response.

— Alan Slocum, Westerville

Alan: Goodness, don’t forget Jake Voracek of the Flyers and Jason Chimera of the Caps and fan fave Jeff Carter, now doing his thing with the Kings. Everyone, it seems, gets use out of old Jackets. As for Howson, my guess is that he’ll respond with his actions this summer.

Ray: After watching many of the games in this year’s NHL playoffs, I can hardly wait for next season. I am looking forward to finally seeing top-caliber players on the ice at Nationwide and successful coaches behind the bench.

Sadly, it will only be for two days — during the All-Star Game and the skills competition in January!

— Tom Cole, Canal Winchester

Tom: As luckless as this franchise is, would anyone be totally surprised if the All-Star weekend gets scuttled by labor issues? Perish the thought, I know.

Editor: Where are the Columbus Crew Crewzers? I recently attended a Crew game and was disappointed when I did not see the Crewzers. They are a wonderful group of cheerleaders, dancers and goodwill ambassadors who add a splash of classy allure, a touch of magic sparkle and an exciting dimension togame-day festivities.

Crew games will never be the same without them. What was Crew management thinking when they disbanded this delightful group of ladies? Perhaps saddest of all, little girls can no longer aspire to become Crewzers.

I can only hope and trust that the management of the Crew will summon the wisdom to revisit their decision and bring back our beloved Crewzers.

— Steve Ponton, Columbus

Steve: Unfortunately for you — and little girls everywhere with dreams of dancing in front of soccer crowds — it appears that the Crewzers have been shelved. The official line, as I understand it, is to make the game-day atmosphere more “professional.” But it could be that management believes nothing is more attractive than American soccer.

Ray: I can’t seem to get past the latest Ron Artest — aka Metta World Peace — outburst and the ensuing “punishment” doled out by the NBA. World Peace is nothing more than a bully and should have been charged criminally and sued civilly for this assault.

The seven-game suspension is laughable and doesn’t exactly send a stern message toArtest or other bullies.If this were Artest’s first offense, seven days would seem appropriate. But there is a track record of almost 10 yearsof immature, criminal behavior.

I doubt that Artest will change his modus operandi, so we will just wait until the next outburst and pray he doesn’t kill someone.

— Jim Lanfear, Baltimore

Jim: It would be easy to say that Brendan Shanahan was responsible for such a lenient suspension, but he at least redeemed himself with Raffi Torres. The one thing working in World Peace’s favor, I suppose, was that he flung his elbow in celebration (if that’s what it was) rather than anger. Still vicious, and still worth more than seven games.